Some Darien Residents Confused On Flooding: City

DARIEN, IL — Plenty of other towns, including Hinsdale, Western Springs and La Grange, suffered major flooding with last weekend's storms. Darien was an exception.

On Wednesday, the city reported that no homes suffered from overland flooding, despite 2½ inches of rainfall. The city's stormwater infrastructure, it said, worked as designed.

The infrastructure varies by neighborhood, based on the year a subdivision was built, according to a Darien news release. Newer subdivisions are only approved with proper detention basin construction, while older ones were built to have streets and rights of way temporarily hold water during significant rainfalls, the release said.

"Comments seen on social media made it clear that some residents confuse street detention with neighborhood flooding," the news release said. "During the recent storm, the street detention worked as designed; the streets temporarily detained the water until the storm sewers regained the capacity to drain the roadways and no homes flooded because of overland water entering the home."

Starting nearly two decades ago, the city has significantly invested in stormwater improvements and continues to do so annually, the release said.

In 2002, the city said, about 20 homes in the Marion Hills neighborhood suffered from overland flooding. The city worked with DuPage County during that time to eliminate flooding to those houses and improved overall drainage in the area, the city said.

These days, the city's stormwater management efforts focus on annual inspections of stormwater sewer systems, residential back yard drainage improvements, installation of improved drainage inlets and repair of the open drainage ditches in areas without curbs and gutters.

Some residents, the city said, experienced water in their homes during the recent storm. These incidents can be attributed to landscape design that allows water to flow toward a home, sanitary sewer backup of the county's system or sump pump problems.

Those who experienced such problems are urged to call Darien's municipal services department at 630-353-8105 for assistance in conducting a drainage review and identifying specific areas of concern.

Here are some tips from the city:

• Grading: The ground surrounding your home, as well as walkways and driveways, should slope away from your home.
• Roofs: Rooftops should have gutters with downspouts that are free of debris and extended away from the home’s foundation.
• Sump pump discharge: If your home has a sump pump, the exterior discharge should be extended away from the home and foundation and not leaking at the connection.